Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 290, Section 291: Mayor Lin is Single-mindedly Dedicated to "Development"

Lin Xiao had no interest in his brother's life or death at the moment; all he wanted was for nightfall.

Waiting and waiting, waiting and waiting.

Finally, we got to dinner, waited for my daughter to fall asleep again in the nanny's room, and waited for everyone to go back to their rooms.

He could finally lie down on the master bedroom bed with his wife in his arms without any guilt, and then... hehehe~
Xi Xi initially didn't want to do as he wished.

After all, this place is not like home; it's much bigger, has more rooms, and is divided into several floors.

Even though they were both part of a large family, she dared to do some bad things with her husband, but she just endured it without daring to make a sound.

Now people here don't even dare to do bad things.

After all, although the house is big with four rooms, it is now fully occupied by people.

Moreover, logically speaking, she and Lin Xiao shouldn't be sleeping in the same room.

Now, in the four rooms, Lin Yu slept in one room, Liang Tian slept in another, the nanny slept in another with the baby, and Lin Xiao and Han Xixi took up the master bedroom. Their mother and mother-in-law, Ms. Zhou Xiuping, had nowhere to stay, so they shared a room with the nanny and the little chubby girl.

Actually, according to normal logic...

It should be that Lin Xiao and Lin Yu share a room, and Han Xixi and Liang Tian share a room. It's only natural that the two brothers and the two sisters sleep together.

The nanny takes care of the baby and sleeps in a separate room.

Zhou Xiuping works hard taking care of the whole family's needs, so she should have her own room to sleep in.

In order to fulfill the couple's wish of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and "a long-awaited rain after a drought," Zhou Xiuping offered to live with the postpartum nanny. The nanny, being very understanding, said, "Okay, okay, okay, two people sleeping together will keep each other company..."

Everyone in the room, except for Lin Yu who was completely clueless and couldn't understand the unspoken message, knew perfectly well that the final room allocation was all for the sake of the young couple.

The more this happened, the more restricted Xixi became.

I felt inexplicably ashamed, like my whole family was eavesdropping. Even though I hadn't done anything yet, I was already blushing with embarrassment.

Lin Xiao didn't turn off the light, and his excitement grew even stronger as he looked at his wife's blushing face.

Various forms of manipulation, engulfed in flames...

After much coaxing, he finally got his wife to agree in a hoarse voice, and then he rushed over and gave her a show of force.

then……

Three minutes later, it stopped moving.

"???"

Xi Xi was completely bewildered in the darkness, wondering if this was the end.
Lin Xiao buried his head in his wife's shoulder and neck, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair, and was deeply moved.

It shouldn't be...

This is weird...

It must be because I drank too much last night, yeah, it must be!

The couple remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Lin Xiao returned to his side and lay down, pretending to snore.

Xi Xi wanted to comfort him, but felt embarrassed to talk about it, so she just lay there without moving. After a while, she started watching a program on her phone and even giggled.

Lin Xiao, lying to the side: "???"

That's so insulting! It's so hurtful to my self-esteem!!

He was furious and hesitated for a moment between swallowing his anger and regrouping, but firmly chose the latter.

Then, with a somersault, he flipped over and straddled his wife.

The sudden movement and force startled Xixi, who screamed "Ah!" before quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"What are you doing?!" Xixi asked in a low voice.

"What are we doing? Making a revolution!!"

Lin Xiao shouted angrily, and then, with the force of a rainstorm hitting banana leaves, he kissed her in a scattered and disorganized manner.

"Well……"

Xixi was caught off guard by the kiss.

It took a long time to push him away; he was already panting heavily.

"Why are you here again... Didn't we just finish?"

"???"

Lin Xiao stared wide-eyed in the darkness!
Just now? Already? Over?!

This is intolerable! It's utterly insulting and a huge blow to my self-esteem!

He was furious and made a domineering rustling noise in the dark, which annoyed Xixi greatly.

"What are you doing..."

"What are we doing? We're developing!!"

Lin Xiao answered seriously, and finally succeeded in forcing himself on her by virtue of his self-taught skill of pestering people.

The room was instantly filled with an enchanting atmosphere...

After half an hour.

Lin Xiao felt burning hot all over, his throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and his heart was practically leaping out of his chest.

Xixi had almost fainted in his arms.

It took a long time for their body temperatures to cool down.

Turn on the bedside nightlight.

Xi Xi's eyes were filled with resentment and tenderness. She was shameless and snuggled into his arms, hiding her face in his armpits. Her soft little hands kept pounding his chest.

Lin Xiao let his wife's fists fall on him, his face beaming with satisfaction.

so far so good……

That was just a mistake; this is my normal level!

Lin Xiao admitted that, given that he is five years older than his wife, he does have a sense of crisis in this matter that is beyond his years.

It took a long time for him to calm down.

"What were you looking at just now?" Lin Xiao asked.

"What are you looking at? I didn't see anything!"

"Uh, I meant half an hour ago!"

"..."

Xi Xi then realized that he was referring to the time before "developing" that she had been watching variety shows on her phone. She was both angry and embarrassed and glared at him.

She picked up her phone and opened the screen she had just viewed.

"Here, look!"

"...The married life I long for?"

Lin Xiao read out the title in the upper left corner of the video, which also had the Hunan TV logo in the upper right corner.

He suddenly became interested.

"Click on it, I'll watch for a bit too!"

"Ok?"

Xi Xi was surprised. "Don't you hate watching variety shows the most...? You're not actually swayed by Jia Jia's words and want to accept the invitation to this show, are you?"

Lin Xiao smiled noncommittally and simply let her play it.

Xixi stopped asking questions and pressed play.

The two snuggled together, leaning against the headboard, and watched for a while. When they saw something funny, the couple chuckled together.

Before I knew it, I had finished watching an episode.

Lin Xiao, with his keen insight, began to change his opinion about the show.

I initially thought it was just another show that stirs up trouble and creates drama, putting a few couples on the show and dredging up all the messy, unpleasant things that have been accumulating in their lives for ages, making it as dramatic as it gets.

But after watching half of the episode, I found out that it wasn't actually like that at all.

This show truly embodies the essence of "slow-paced variety show." Regardless of the theme, what impressed Lin Xiao most after watching one episode was the abundance of establishing shots that vividly showcased the local natural landscape.

While watching, he couldn't help but immerse himself in the story, thinking that if the recording location were in Xingguang Town, it would be a good way to promote the scenery of the town and the county...

That’s not impossible!

This thought flashed through my mind several times, but I was quickly drawn into the "plot" of the show.

The show features three couples who live together in a small courtyard similar to a country inn. They drink tea, chat, cook, grow vegetables, wash melons, and stroll through the market together.

The content is very casual, seemingly without any theme.

But the interactions between the guests are quite interesting, sometimes touching, sometimes funny, seemingly disparate yet cohesive, demonstrating the skill of the production team.

Anyway, Lin Xiao's mouth was always grinning after he looked into it.

Having spent over a decade in the entertainment industry in his previous life, he could discern the true nature of the program.

Does this show have a script? Definitely!

However, compared to those so-called life observation variety shows that are so fake that they can't be more fake, this show, "Longing for Married Life," has managed to retain the core of authenticity as much as possible within the framework of a script.

The production team doesn't try to embellish minor conflicts and problems between couples; instead, they act as a recorder, presenting them as truthfully as possible.

Of course, the main focus is on showcasing how couples solve problems together.

Because of the production team's attention to detail, this seemingly unprofitable slow-paced variety show has managed to break through in the fiercely competitive variety show market.

This impressed Lin Xiao, who looked at him with admiration.

Xi Xi glanced up at her husband, pursed her lips to suppress a laugh, and suddenly felt that they didn't seem like a couple, but rather like best friends.

"Want to watch it again?" she asked.

"Hmm, let's not watch it anymore, it's already 11 o'clock..."

"Oh, let's go to sleep then~"

Xixi put down her phone, crawled into the blanket, and was really going to sleep.

Lin Xiao couldn't sleep, so he put his hands under his head and stared blankly at the dark ceiling.

“Honey~~” Xixi suddenly spoke up.

"Ok?"

"Do you want to participate in 'Rebirth'?"

"Rebirth?!"

Lin Xiao felt a chill run down his spine; it was quite frightening in the middle of the night.

Xi Xi quickly laughed and said, "It's called 'The Longing for Married Life,' but fans call it 'Rebirth'!"

Lin Xiao: "..."

"You just watched the program, have you changed your mind now?"

"Change your mind about what?"

"Asking questions knowingly!"

Xi Xi was sullen, and turned her body back around.

Lin Xiao used a move called "scooping the moon from the seabed," putting one hand under his wife's neck, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her into his embrace in the darkness.

He gently touched his wife's soft lips.

"Don't just ask me, what about you?"

"I?"

"Yeah! Chen Jiajia asked me if I wanted to participate, and you asked me if I wanted to participate too!"

Lin Xiao said calmly, "This show requires couples to appear together. You're also a key candidate, so you should give your opinion!"

Xi Xi was amused by his description and giggled.

Finally, he whispered, "I... I don't really want to..."

"Ok?"

Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised by his wife's answer.

"why?"

"Um...don't laugh at me when I tell you!" "Of course!"

"I don't want to go on because... I'm an E-person, and I get nervous in front of strangers, and I get even more nervous in front of the camera!"

Xi Xi said somewhat embarrassedly.

Lin Xiao laughed and said, "But you're a singer, an artist. You're meant to live in front of the camera, in the eyes of the audience... Since you know your own personality, why do you still insist on being a singer? Isn't this career choice a bit hasty?"

Xi Xi playfully punched him.

She then said softly, "I'm fine when I sing. I don't know why, but every time I stand on stage and pick up the microphone, I'm not nervous. But after I finish singing, when I have to be interviewed by the host, or interact with the judges and the audience, I get extremely nervous!"

Lin Xiao laughed without any politeness.

He knew his wife's personality and habits, of course; he had just asked her that question on purpose to tease her.

As expected, Xixi laughed somewhat embarrassedly, then sighed helplessly, "That's just my personality, what can I do... It's not like I haven't had variety show offers before, but I turned them all down, just because I was afraid of looking awkward on the show..."

Seeing her adorable appearance, Lin Xiao burst into laughter.

Hearing the noise, Xixi quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "Keep your voice down, don't wake up the family!!"

Lin Xiao pursed his lips, thinking to himself that the commotion just now was even bigger than this...

You can't say that, or your wife will definitely fight you to the death!
“If you don’t want to go, then we won’t go. I just want to hear your real thoughts!” Lin Xiao said with a smile.

"Um……"

Xi Xi hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"what happened?"

"Actually... that wasn't really what I was thinking just now!"

"Ok?"

"My honest thought is that although I am introverted and afraid of going on TV, I'm fine with 'Rebirth'!"

"Why? What's so special about this show?"

"Because this show requires my brother and me to appear together~~"

As Xixi spoke, her voice became playful and lively.

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned.

Xixi continued, "As long as my brother is by my side, I'm not afraid at all. Whether it's facing the camera or interacting with other guests, I'm confident I can handle it well, hehe~~"

A light, cheerful laugh bounced through the darkness.

Lin Xiao was pleased to hear this, so he hugged his wife tighter and gently kissed her forehead.

"However, since this program conflicts with your work, then we won't be going on it!"

"Hmm... it's not really a conflict!"

"Huh?" Now it was Xixi's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Chen Jiajia hit the nail on the head!"

Lin Xiao said earnestly, "Although I am nominally the mayor of Xingguang Town, in reality, I am also the spokesperson for the cultural and tourism industry of Nanzhou Province! Developing the economy of Xingguang Town is my primary responsibility, which can drive the development of the cultural and tourism industry in the whole province, and it is also what the leaders expect of me!"
"From this perspective, if I take some time to record this variety show, it can't be considered a waste of time or an abuse of power for personal gain. The higher-ups should also strongly support it..."

Lin Xiao didn't finish his sentence, but Xi Xi's eyes were already shining.

"So, brother, you mean we can participate?"

Xi Xi was so excited that she pounced on Lin Xiao, pressing her against his soft chest.

Lin Xiao's throat felt a little hoarse.

"Well, theoretically it's possible, but I always want to be a little greedy!"

How can you be greedy?

"I want to kill two birds with one stone: do a good job as the spokesperson for Nanzhou Province, and also develop various undertakings in Xingguang Town!"

"Huh? Through this program?"

Xi Xi was a little confused. "If you go on the show, you'll definitely attract attention, and then we can mention our hometown more in the show, and that'll fulfill our mission as a spokesperson. But... how does developing Xingguang Town relate to recording a variety show?"

Lin Xiao smiled mysteriously.

"Hehe, when it comes to development, the key is the word 'develop'!"

"Ok?"

This touched on Xixi's area of ​​ignorance, and she really couldn't understand it.

However, looking at her husband's lecherous eyes, she felt that something was wrong.

Soon, she sensed some unusual changes in the blankets and immediately knew what was going on.

Her face flushed instantly, and she glared at Lin Xiao coquettishly.

"What...are you a cow?!"

Are you the earth?

"what?"

"You are the earth, and I am the cow!"

"..."

Unable to argue with this person any longer, Xixi rolled over and decided to run away.

But he couldn't escape; a large hand forcibly grabbed his waist and held him tightly against his body.

Xixi could clearly feel his body temperature rising, and soon it was burning hot.

The atmosphere was initially quite ambiguous.

For some inexplicable reason, Xixi suddenly felt like a fish being grilled on a hot plate!
"puff……"

Just thinking about that scene made her burst out laughing.

Lin Xiao was just getting a little impulsive and preparing to pursue a third venture when his wife's smile instantly killed his interest and made him lose his composure.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep..."

Lin Xiao, annoyed, ruthlessly pushed the grilled fish off the hot plate and fell asleep right away.

……

A new week begins.

Lin Xiao continued to work as the town mayor, spending his days in endless meetings, signing documents, and making visits!
After only a few days, the initial excitement of being the town mayor had faded, leaving only heavy workload, monotonous repetition, and the heavy responsibility of developing the town's 8,000 permanent residents, which weighed heavily on his mind at all times.

He who eats the king's food must also bear the king's worries.

This is an old saying.

In today's terms, officials who live off tax revenue and serve as local leaders should shoulder the responsibility of improving people's livelihoods and developing the economy.

Although Lin Xiao doesn't live off his salary.

To be honest, his title of town mayor sounds good, but his actual monthly salary, even including his housing provident fund, is not enough to pay for the nanny's salary at home, not even half of it.

This is the gap, this is reality.

The housekeeper we hired is the best of the best. Her abilities and experience are top-notch. She's perceptive and doesn't like to gossip. With this kind of mindset, she'll succeed no matter what she does.

Lin Xiao was happy to pay the money, and when the nanny came to live with his wife and children in Mashan County, he even gave her an extra two thousand yuan a month.

Let's discuss this from both inside and outside.

My salary for three months is only enough to pay for a postpartum nanny for one month.

If I were to rely on this income to support my family, my wife and children would have starved to death long ago.

Lin Xiao now feels less like he's in politics and more like he's spending money on an online game called "Mayor's Promotion Diary," single-mindedly focused on completing it.

Regardless of the circumstances, those in positions of power must fulfill their responsibilities.

Even though he never looked at his salary in his bank account, he never neglected his work. He was very diligent in going to and from work every day, and he was serious about meetings and research.

Gradually, the town officials all started to regard him as the town mayor.

At first, it was really hard for people to associate him with that position in the independent office. After all, he was too young, had too many titles, and was so popular. Any one of his identities would be more impressive than "Mayor of Starlight Town".

The officials paid far more attention to his private life than to his professional identity and work ability.

But after spending a week together day and night.

People gradually forgot that he was a musician, a big internet celebrity, a celebrity husband, and a mayor's son-in-law.

After all, these gimmicks are just circulating online, and people are just watching for fun, without really experiencing them.

What people truly felt was what they saw and heard: Mayor Lin's meticulous inquiries and earnest concern for matters large and small.

The illusory aura surrounding him gradually dissipated.

Gradually, only one living person remained, a town mayor completely different from the stereotypical image.

June is entering its latter half.

At Monday's leadership meeting, Lin Xiao, along with three deputy mayors and several heads of key departments, discussed several key tasks.

The most important things are nothing more than two things.

The first is the economic data for the first half of the year, and the second is the merger of villages and towns.

Economic work is overseen by Deputy Mayor Dong Jianhui, while the work of merging villages and towns is led by another Deputy Mayor named Ge Tao.

The two were about the same age, around forty.

And they were all heavy smokers.

However, the two are different.

Old Dong is a thing of the past; he's quit now.

However, he damaged his lungs from smoking when he was young, and now he has a lot of phlegm and a hoarse voice, and coughs constantly.

Ge Tao, on the other hand, was a heavy smoker.

When Lin Xiao first took office, he could tolerate it, but if he didn't smoke for half an hour, he would become restless and scratch his head.

Seeing that he was also in pain, Lin Xiao offered him the cigarette, saying there was no need for so much formality.

Old Ge immediately developed a much better impression of the new town mayor, and smiled broadly, lighting one cigarette after another.

So every time the leadership team held a meeting, Old Ge would be smoking heavily, while Old Dong would be coughing so hard it shook the earth.

That scene was absolutely spectacular!

Sitting in the main seat, Lin Xiao felt that he was undergoing an even greater test of his Dao heart than a cultivator.

This also forced him to proactively streamline meetings, making each meeting as efficient as possible, focusing on getting things done and adjourning when there was nothing else to discuss—not to mention, he had a little girl at home, and if he came home smelling of smoke, Ms. Lin would be even less friendly towards him.

However, today's meeting was both tedious and long-winded.

After the three deputy mayors finished their work reports, a gloomy atmosphere filled the meeting room—it was truly gloomy and foggy.

The first half of the year is coming to an end.

The progress of the two key tasks in Xingguang Town is not optimistic.

The economic data speaks for itself.

Xingguang Town is primarily an agricultural town with a weak industrial base, and since the first half of the year is not yet the harvest season for oranges and tangerines, all the data are naturally quite poor.

That's one thing; we could at least look for reasons in terms of region, transportation, and season.

However, another task was a long-standing and difficult problem that had persisted for two years, and it was the most challenging and demanding task for Xingguang Town compared to other towns.

“This month, we visited all 12 villages that were slated for relocation again. My colleagues and I went door-to-door to explain the policies, but not a single household agreed to move…”

Ge Tao looked worried, and when he was worried, he smoked even more heavily.

The doors and windows in the conference room were all open, so the smoke couldn't escape.

Ge Tao sighed, “Our Xingguang Town has the highest population outflow rate in the county, and it also has the most natural villages with a permanent population of less than 200 people. The task of merging villages and towns is the heaviest in the county and even the city.”

"But this work has been going on for almost two years, and only 20% has been completed so far. Only the three villages closest to Xingguang Town have completed the relocation, and the residents have moved to the town and moved into the centralized housing in the east of the town."

“The other villages that need to be relocated are too far from the town, and the villagers are resolutely unwilling to move, no matter what we do to persuade them. With the end of the year approaching and the overall merger work to be assessed, we are still far from completing our tasks... I'm so worried that I can't sleep at night!”

As he spoke, Old Ge lit another cigarette using the cigarette butt he had just finished smoking.

Old Dong, who was standing next to him, was so tempted by the smell of smoke that he kept swallowing his saliva, and he coughed so hard that his lungs almost flew out.

Lin Xiao sat in his seat, but his mind was unusually clear.

He always believed that as long as the policies truly benefited the people and the benefits actually went into the villagers' pockets, the people would certainly not disobey the government's orders.

Everyone says this policy is good, but it just can't be implemented.

Lin Xiao concluded that there must have been a problem during the execution process!
We need to investigate this thoroughly!
(End of this chapter)